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DFL files ethics complaints against reps Engen, Hudson
The Minnesota House DFL has filed ethics complaints against two Republican representatives who were allegedly involved in a drunk driving incident. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has more.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Ethics complaints are shaking up the Minnesota House, with lawmakers on both sides facing scrutiny and possible consequences.
Republican lawmakers removed from committees after DWI arrest
What we know:
Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth removed Rep. Elliott Engen and Rep. Walter Hudson from their committee assignments after a reported drunk driving incident involving Engen. Demuth said her decision was "based on the police report from hours later when Engen was arrested for DWI." She added, "I did choose to remove them from those responsibilities. They're still very much part of our caucus and the work being done," said Demuth.
Back in action:
Reps. Engen and Hudson returned to the House floor Tuesday, but didn’t speak.
Hudson posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, that he’s taken the lumps he’s due and called the DFL’s ethics complaint a "dumb move."
"You’d think they’d have learned by now," he said. "Never give me a platform."
Democrats argue that the removal from committees is not a real consequence since they had abandoned a committee hours before the DWI and "don't take that work as seriously," according to Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura.
Rep. Jamie Long said, "It is so egregious that they would simply abandon their jobs to go to a bar in the middle of the day, in the middle of a committee hearing, that yes, we thought that rose to the level of an ethics violation."
The original incident:
Engen and Hudson left the education finance committee meeting on March 26 and were later photographed drinking beers as the meeting continued with discussion on bills addressing teacher retention and student absenteeism.
They returned to the Capitol for a House floor session a couple of hours later. Police later arrested Engen for DWI. He said he was "sober cabbing" Hudson and another passenger.
Hudson, who has a permit to carry, handed over his gun and cooperated with police during Engen’s arrest. Officers did not test if he was above the legal limit for permitted carrying, which is .04.
Democrats question whether Hudson was above the limit when he and Engen returned to the House floor, citing the photo.
"I am making my decision based on the police report and the information that I received," Speaker Demuth said. "I am not addressing a photo that was out there, not addressing that at this time."
Democratic lawmaker faces lobbying complaint
Dig deeper:
Speaker Demuth is also addressing an ethics complaint against DFL Rep. Alex Falconer, who GOP members accused of lobbying from a legislative office.
Falconer was a registered lobbyist for Save the Boundary Waters until about a month before joining the legislature in 2025 and is still a senior advisor for a wilderness advocacy group.
Falconer said he cleared everything with nonpartisan staff and believes the GOP is trying to distract from the complaints against Engen and Hudson.
Both complaints will be heard by the House ethics committee, which is made up of two members from each party. They are required to address the complaints before the end of the session.
The backstory:
Both sides are questioning the actions and motivations of the other, with Democrats pushing for stronger consequences and Republicans pointing to previous DFLers arrested for DWI without losing committee assignments.
"Our ethics complaint does not touch any criminal complaints that may be coming for any members," Rep. Long responded. "The criminal process, in our view, can take care of those. What we're talking about is the dereliction of duty from individuals who did not attend a committee, left it early to go drinking. That is an appropriate process for the ethics committee to consider. So that's separate from the DWI charge."